Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Sambara puli aka Kothamalli dry chutney

"Sambara puli " is what they call the dry kothamalli/ coriander chutney in most of the tam bram households. I remember my grandma preparing this while I drool over the sweet, spicy and tangy chutney. My grandma used to make it in the traditional " attukkal" which means the hose maid has to stay for an extra shift. The addition of jaggery gives this chutney an enhanced taste of the tamarind and other spices used.

It tastes so good with molagootal, idli, dosa and of course mu favorite is to eat with thayir sadham
( curd rice).
It stays good in the fridge for few weeks and comes in handy if you want to make some coriander chutney. Just add this, some coconut and grind and your chutney is ready.

Get Ready

1 bunch of cilantro washed

1/4 cup urad dal

1/2 tsp asafoetida powder

5-6 red chillies

marble sized tamarind

A small marble sized ball of jaggery ( optional)

1 -2 tsp oil

Salt to taste

Go:

Spread the washed cilantro on a towel and let it air dry over night. Discard the thick stems and leave the rest intact. The cilantro will look wilted, but will still have some moisture in it.

coarsely chop the cilantro and set aside.

In a pan, add the oil and roast the urad dal on medium heat till golden. set aside

Add a little oil and roast the red chillies till they are shiny and crackly. Be careful not to burn them. set it aside.

Add a little oil and roast the tamarind and set aside.

Once every thing cools, to a blender add the roasted red chilli, cilantro, jaggery, tamrind, asafoetida, salt and pulse them several times.

Add the roasted urad dal and pulse multiple times till everything comes together. You can grind the urad dal as coarse as you want if you want the sambara puli to be crunchy. store them just as is or make small balls and set aside.